About this journal

Boletus edulis, aka the Holy Grail
of mushroom hunter

I am an amateur fungi enthusiast, currently based in Scotland, UK. For many people who were born and grew up in Eastern Europe, wild mushroom hunting is not just a favourite pastime but an integral part of culture, a way to connect to the land, and most importantly, a source of free (and delicious) food.

Much as I love being a part of that culture, the problem with being a mushroom hunter in my home parts is that, the number of available mushroom harvesting spots is far exceeded by that of mushroom pickers. To bring back home a reasonable crop you need either to start very early in the morning, or travel far from home. Usually both. Even so, there's still a good chance that you'd cross hunting paths other fellow-enthusiasts, which will almost certainly result in a confrontation. Since in their full mushroom hunting gear some fungi collectors can be easily confused with guerilla fighters, I'd rather have to deal with a family of bears.

Laccaria laccata,
a common Scottish fungus

When I moved to Scotland a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised both at the abundance of edible wild fungi in local forests and the near-absence of competitors. This is not to say that Scottish people do not love their countryside: I see lots of walkers, cyclists, dog walkers, horse riders, and even fantasy role-players. Their concern for my wellbeing is occasionally irritating, and horses can sometimes present a problem on narrow forest paths, but there are no arguments over ownership of mushroom spots, and in the end this is all that matters.

This journal's purpose is to record personal experiences, thoughts and discoveries in the fascinating and little-known world of fungi, and to provide its readers with entertainment and instruction. It is by no means to encourage others to consider mushroom hunting as a possible outdoor pursuit, nor is it a mushroom identification guide. Any views expressed in it are my own and are not endorsed by any official organisation.

All images, unless otherwise credited, are my own, and can be used under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.